Pangrattato are those crunchy Italian breadcrumbs you’ll sometimes find strewn over the top of pasta dishes but it’s great for so much more. These crispy breadcrumbs are loaded with flavour and great for adding to the top of soups, salads and veggie dishes too.
Known also as poor man’s parmesan, it was once used by the poor to mimic the parmesan cheese that rich people were able to grate over their meals. Pangrattato has a garlicky flavour and irresistible crunch that has made this Italian cucina povera recipe famous. It’s so good, you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful.
Try these cheese and garlic croutons too.
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Ingredients you’ll need
With just a handful of ingredients, the Italians prove once again that you can make something delicious out of almost nothing. In fact, while any will work, stale bread is best for pangrattato; something you may have been tempted to throw out anyway. It’s like having a great garlic bread toasted until crisp, crumbled and scattered all over your meal. Yum!
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
- Stale bread: You only need a little to make a single batch. I like a chewy bread if I have it, like ciabatta, but I’ve tried this with dinner rolls too and it works just fine. Use whatever bread you have on hand. Cut away the crusts and process the rest to chunky crumbs.
- Garlic: The garlic is what gives pangrattato its signature robust flavour.
- Olive oil: I use a mild flavoured olive oil but you can use extra virgin olive oil too.
- Flaky sea salt is added for seasoning at the end.
- Fresh parsley is totally optional but adds a lovely colour and a little freshness.
This recipe creates enough pangrattato to use for topping one meal for 4 serves but you can easily scale it up as it stores well, sans the parsley.
How to make pangrattato
These crispy Italian breadcrumbs are incredibly simple to make; it’s pretty much one step.
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
1. Toast the breadcrumbs
Start by blending your bread in a food processor until you have coarse crumbs. You can make them as fine as you like but they’re best a little chunky.
Now, add the crumbs, garlic and oil to a pan and cook over medium heat until golden and fragrant (about 4-5 minutes) adding sea salt flakes towards the end.
2. Add the parsley
Once the breadcrumbs cool, stir in the parsley.
How to use pangrattato
- Over pasta: It adds lovely texture to the top of pasta dishes like this creamy prawn pasta.
- Vegetables: Scatter over your vegetable dishes right before serving, like this hasselback butternut squash.
- Soup topper: Sprinkle it over soup.
- Eggs: Scatter them over your fried egg in the morning.
Variations
Pangrattato is incredibly versatile and you can jazz it up with other flavours to suit the dish you’re using it with.
- Parmigiano Reggiano, aka parmesan, or pecorino romano add another amazing umami boost. Make sure to finely grate it and add it once the crumbs have cooled.
- Spicy: Add some dried chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) for a spicy kick.
- Nuts: Finely crumble some nuts like walnuts or almonds and add those in while toasting the crumbs.
- Fresh herbs: Other fresh herbs can work well too like chives and basil. Or add a little finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves or sage while cooking.
- Lemon zest: Finely grated lemon zest added once the crumbs have cooled adds a lovely tangy taste. But skip the lemon juice, it’ll just make your crumbs soggy.
- Bread type: Stale sourdough bread or ciabatta is perfect for pangrattato but you can use nearly any type of bread you have on hand. Dinner rolls? Go for it. Gluten-free bread? Yep. You could even, in a pinch, use panko breadcrumbs if you like (though it’s not quite as good this way).
Storage
With the parsley in the pangrattato, it’s best to store it in the fridge in an airtight container and eaten within one week.
If you leave the parsley out, it will keep a little longer, up to 2 weeks.
You can also freeze your pangrattato in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
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Ingredients
- 65 g stale bread crumbs (2 ¼oz)
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons oil (notes 1)
- pinch sea salt flakes
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley (notes 1)
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Frying pan / skillet
Instructions
- Add the bread crumbs, garlic and oil to a small frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Cook stirring, for 4-5 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- Stir in a good pinch of flaky sea salt, then immediately tip the crumbs out onto a plate to stop them cooking further. Wait a few minutes before stirring in the parsley.
- Use immediately or store in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 1 week or the freezer for up to 2 months. If you leave the parsley out, it will keep longer.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- Pangrattato will soften if added to something with a sauce so leave it until serving time to add to any dish.
- Nutrition details are approximate only – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
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